


sometimes you fall (before you fly)

by Fives (janfives90)



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Ice Rink AU, figure skating AU, warnings: references to domestic violence and abuse; guns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22341616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: “You must be the new skating instructor.”“I am. Alyssa Greene. Do you work here?”The woman grins at her. “I like to think I do, though my grandmother seems to think otherwise.” She holds out her hand for Alyssa to shake. “Emma Nolan.”
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 14
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

The ice under her feet feels like home.

Alyssa Greene glides across the rink silently, adjusting as she goes, getting comfortable.

Perhaps a little _too_ comfortable.

She does a small jump, a single axel, smiling as the ease settles over her. As she circles around the rink, gaining speed, the confidence gets into her head.

She goes into the air again, realizing almost immediately that she’s made a mistake. She lands hard on the very edge of her blade, and it skids out from underneath her, sending her tumbling onto the ice.

“Fuck,” she mutters. She looks up as she hears the door onto the rink open, and she sees someone standing in the shadows. _“Fuck,”_ she repeats.

Alyssa gets up and skates over to the doorway, stopping when she gets closer and pausing to take in the woman standing there. She’s in jeans, sneakers, black fingerless gloves, and a thin blue fleece jacket with the rink’s logo on the pocket, and, with little doubt, she’s the most beautiful woman Alyssa has ever seen in her life.

The woman pushes her glasses up on her nose and runs a hand through her messy blonde hair. “You must be the new skating instructor.”

“I am. Alyssa Greene. Do you work here?”

The woman grins at her. “I like to think I do, though my grandmother seems to think otherwise.” She holds out her hand for Alyssa to shake. “Emma Nolan.”

Alyssa freezes, her grip still tight on Emma’s hand. “Nolan? Like…”

“Like the Thomas S. Nolan Skate Arena? Yeah. He was my grandfather. My grandmother is the slightly crazy woman who hired you.”

“Oh.” Alyssa blushes. “I guess it wasn’t a good idea to fall right in front of you as my first impression, huh?”

Emma shrugs. “Skating is hard.” She uses the grip Alyssa hasn’t yet remembered to release to turn her arm, and she gently rests the fingers of her free hand against Alyssa’s elbow. “Did you hurt yourself?” she asks softly.

Alyssa shakes her head. “Just bruised my pride.”

Emma laughs, and Alyssa feels herself blushing more. “I’m not sure I have a bandage for that, but if there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

 _‘I can think of a few things,’_ Alyssa thinks, her eyes wandering briefly.

Emma raises an eyebrow.

“Oh, God. Please tell me I didn’t say that out loud.”

There’s a pause before Emma shrugs and gives her a slow grin. “Okay. If that’s what you want me to tell you.”

Alyssa puts her hand over her mouth and whimpers. “I swear,” she mumbles. “I am not this much of a disaster when I teach.”

“I believe you.” Emma winks at her. “It’s pretty cute, though, Ms. Greene.” She laughs and turns, walking away towards the rink manager’s office.

Alyssa watches her go, jaw slack.

“Fuck.”

* * *

“Erickson?” Alyssa calls, reading off of her sheet.

A woman with a young son raises her hand and walks forward, lowering her voice as she gets close to Alyssa. “We’re actually in the process of changing it to Bellini. His father isn’t in our lives anymore.”

Alyssa hesitates. “Should I consider him a potential issue?”

“I-I…” The woman pauses, looking nervous. “I don’t think he knows Lucas is enrolled here, but…”

“What’s your name?”

“Carrie. Carrie Eri- Bellini. Carrie Bellini.”

“Why don’t we talk after class, Carrie, and we’ll make sure we have everything in order to keep you and Lucas - and everyone - as safe and happy as we can?”

Carrie gives a relieved sigh and nods. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Alyssa raises her hand and grins when Lucas gives her a high five. “We’re gonna have fun, aren’t we, Lucas?”

The boy beams at her. “Yeah!”

“Good boy. Why don’t you go sit back down with your mom?”

Once the two have walked away, Alyssa goes to the next name on her list. “Gonzales?” When she gets no response, she looks up with a frown. “Gonzales?”

Another woman her age rounds the corner into the meeting room so fast that she slams her shoulder into the doorframe. “Sorry,” she says, gasping for breath. “We’re here, I’m just… I can’t find my kid.”

Alyssa’s eyes widen, alarmed. “What? Do you need me to-”

The woman waves her off. “I know she’s with Nolan, I just can’t find either of them. As soon as I figure out how to ground a grown woman, I’ll be back. I’m so sorry.”

Alyssa blinks, confused, as the woman sprints back down the hallway.

“I wonder if every day is going to be like this for you,” Carrie says mildly.

“You know, I kind of think it will be.”

* * *

Alyssa finishes saying goodbye to Lucas at the end of her conversation with Carrie after class, then walks over to where Emma is talking to Shelby Gonzales.

“I was apologizing for delaying her. I didn’t realize Ashley was taking your class,” Emma says, smiling as Alyssa joins them.

“It’s alright. The first day was just some basic information. I have a pamphlet that covers anything they might have missed.” Alyssa grins as the little girl climbs on a completely unconcerned Emma. “You clearly have a friend.”

“Yes,” Shelby says dryly. “We _love_ to annoy Aunt Emma while she’s at work, don’t we, Ash?”

The girl giggles and buries her face against Emma’s shoulder.

“If you or Kay ever need me to pick her up and bring her over, just let me know. It’s no trouble.” Emma extracts herself from Ashley and sets her on the ground at Shelby’s feet. “You’re getting a bit big to do that, kiddo. You’re gonna kill my shoulder one of these days.”

She just giggles again.

“Hm.” Shelby looks at Emma and shrugs. “I’m not sure she cares.”

“Gee, I wonder where she gets that from.”

“Kaylee,” Shelby says immediately.

Emma shakes her head and looks at Alyssa. “This is the kind of person you’re working with, Ms. Greene. She’ll throw her own wife right under the bus.”

“If you asked Kaylee, she’d say the kid gets it from me, so I’m not going to apologize.” Shelby taps her fingers lightly on Ashley’s head. “Alright. We should go. It’s time for dinner.”

“Aww,” Ashley whines. “Can Aunt Emma come?”

“She’s only allowed to come to dinner on Sundays or Pom-Pom will eat her.”

“Pom-Pom’s a princess! She wouldn’t eat Aunt Emma!”

Emma gives Shelby a smug look. “Yeah!”

“Pom-Pom only eats good food!”

Emma’s smirk drops. “Hey.”

Shelby starts to steer her daughter towards the door. “Just for that, kiddo, you can have a cookie tonight.”

Alyssa puts a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. “You, uh… You guys are close, then?”

“I’ve hated Shelby Gonzales for my entire life,” Emma deadpans.

“Mhm. I can see that.”

Emma jerks a thumb towards the rink and holds her other hand out to Alyssa. “I was going to go for a skate before I clean the ice. Care to join me? I won’t be doing any fancy attempts at triple salchows, but it’s a nice time anyway.”

Alyssa blushes. “I was hoping you’d forget that.”

“Not a chance. I’m going to keep it so that when you outskate me and I start to feel inadequate, I remember that you’re human, too.”

“There’s no guarantee that I’ll outskate you,” Alyssa says, taking Emma’s hand and letting her lead her over to where their skates are stored.

“Oh, you misunderstand. I’m _hoping_ you outclass me.”

“Why, so you have an excuse to remember me falling on my ass?”

Emma grins at her. “No. Because my grandmother hired you because she sees real talent in you, Alyssa Greene. Now, I don’t know why you’re here instead of out there doing something fancier, and you don’t need to tell me. But if you can do it, don’t hold back on it because you think somebody here might get offended or embarrassed. You have the skill. Don’t hold back on my account.” She winks. “Though maybe, y’know, hold back a little for the kids.”

“I planned on that part already.”

“Good. You’ll be a better skating instructor than the one I had at Ashley’s age. My grandfather punched him because he made me skate laps for fifteen minutes straight until I learned to keep my balance at higher speeds.” Emma shrugs. “It worked, but it wasn’t exactly the best training method.”

“No; I would imagine not.”

Emma takes a pair of skates out of a locker and sits down on a bench. “One day done. Do you think you’re ready for all this?”

Alyssa retrieves her skates and sits across from her, taking in a slow breath. “Yeah,” she says quietly. “I think I am.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I suppose it would be stupid to say something like ‘oh, you skate’,” Alyssa laughs as she glides slowly across the ice, watching Emma skate backwards in front of her.

Emma grins. “Hey, you never know. Maybe I stopped practicing after I had that one shitty instructor when I was a kid. Talent doesn’t need to run in families.”

“I have a feeling it runs in yours.”

“...Maybe.” Emma circles Alyssa once before falling into step beside her. “Hockey certainly does.”

“You played hockey?”

“Here and there. I was a center.”

“Cool, cool.” Alyssa nods quickly. “Uh, and a center is…”

“A forward,” Emma says with a laugh. “The people who are supposed to score the goals.”

“You probably score a lot,” Alyssa mutters.

Emma glances at her. “Hm?”

Alyssa almost skates directly into the boards. “Nothing! Nothing at all.” She clears her throat awkwardly. “So, uhm, do you watch it or just play it?”

“I watch it. Men’s and women’s. New York Islanders for men’s - it’s the team my grandfather played for for most of his career - and at the moment I’m just watching the national team and the PWHPA games for women’s.”

“PWHPA?”

“Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. Most of them boycotted the National Women’s Hockey League. It’s a whole thing.” Emma puts her hands in her pockets. “You don’t know much about hockey?”

“No. I stuck to the less violent ice sports.”

“Hey, aside from, like, curling, pretty much all ice sports involve blades, Alyssa.”

Alyssa laughs. “You know what I mean.”

Emma grins. “Maybe I do.”

They loop around the end of the rink, in sync, and start skating back towards the door they entered through.

“How long have you known Shelby Gonzales?” Alyssa asks curiously.

“Since we were kids. We were friends, then she hated me, then we were friends again. It’s a complex relationship.”

Alyssa brow furrows. “Why did she hate you?”

“Oh, it was when we were in high school. She didn’t like that I’m gay.”

Alyssa’s heart flips at the information, until her brain catches up to the words. “Wait. But… Shelby’s married to a woman. Isn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Emma glances at the confusion on Alyssa’s face and laughs. “Edgewater is a small town, Alyssa, and at the time I was the only out kid in it. Given how much shit I was being put through, she wasn’t about to try to deal with the things she was feeling for Kaylee. I don’t particularly blame her.”

“Understandable,” Alyssa murmurs. “I’m from Wyoming. I didn’t come out until I was in college, and even then, it was only to a few friends and my mom.”

“Braver than me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t  _ intend _ to come out. It just kind of happened. Well,  _ just kind of happened _ thanks to some reporter’s obsessive need to get any kind of news about my family. Being small-town famous honestly sucks.” Emma pauses before giving Alyssa an awkward look. “Sorry. This isn’t supposed to be therapy hour.”

“It’s fine. I like finding out more about you, even if it isn’t all good things.” Alyssa fidgets with the sleeve of her jacket. “My mom wasn’t really happy when I told her. It took some time for her to get used to it, but she came around.”

“How long did it take?”

“For her to  _ fully _ accept it, maybe about two years, but she eased up within a few weeks.”

“Hm.” Emma looks down at her skates. “My parents still haven’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa murmurs, reaching out and taking Emma’s hand.

Emma shrugs. “It doesn’t really bother me anymore. It’s just something that’s a part of my life, you know?”

“Yeah. I think- What are you doing?” Alyssa squeaks as Emma suddenly starts skating faster, grip tight on Alyssa’s hand.

“Lightening things up a little.”

As they get closer and closer to the boards at the other end of the rink, Alyssa yelps,  _ “Emma!” _

Emma turns suddenly, dragging her skates to a halt and catching Alyssa by the waist. She laughs at the startled look on Alyssa’s face. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Well, sure, but  _ seriously?” _

“I learned from one of the best.” Emma looks down at her hands, still tight against Alyssa’s jeans, and she blushes and moves back. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Alyssa says breathlessly.

“U-Uhm. I really should clean the ice now. It’s getting late.”

“Right. Right. Sorry for keeping you.”

“Don’t be. It was nice.”

Alyssa nods. “It was.”

Emma stares at her a moment longer before pushing open the exit from the rink. “Goodnight, Alyssa.”

“...Goodnight, Emma.”

* * *

Alyssa finishes pulling her hair up into a ponytail during the end credits of an episode of  _ Nailed It!, _ waiting for the next to load up. She frowns when she hears a knock on the door, pausing the show and getting up to answer it.

Her confusion deepens when she looks through the peephole and sees Emma standing in the hallway, fidgeting nervously.

When she opens the door, she says, “Emma?”

“Uh, hi. Hello.” Emma gives a dorky wave, and Alyssa falls even more in crush with her.

“Uhm. Hi?” Alyssa blinks. “You know where I live?”

“I-In retrospect, uh, it’s incredibly creepy, but, uh, I looked it up in the database. I’m so sorry.” Emma rubs the back of her neck. “I just… Uh… I wanted… You forgot your bag, and, uh… I wanted to bring it to you… in case you needed it…”

She holds up her other hand, and Alyssa notices her gym bag for the first time.

“Thank you.” Alyssa takes it. “Uhm… Do you want to come in for a minute?”

“Oh. No, thank you, I don’t want to interrupt your evening.”

“Okay.” Alyssa pauses as Emma just continues to stand there, nervous and silent. “Is there something else-”

“Would you like to go to dinner sometime?” Emma asks quickly.

“Huh?”

“I-I, uh, I’m sorry if this is at all awkward for you, feel free to turn me down, I know I’m not your boss, but my grandmother is, and that might not feel right for you, but if it does, would you like to go to dinner sometime?”

Alyssa stares at her.

Emma winces. “Right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“Would Monday work for you?”

“...What?”

“I have classes on the weekends, and I’m sure they’re pretty busy for you, too, but would Monday work for you?”

Emma nods slowly. “Yeah. Er, yes, it would. Could I pick you up at six?”

Alyssa grins. “You could.”

Emma plays with the zipper of her jacket, flushed a bit pink. “Okay. Well. Cool. I’ll, uh, see you then.”

“See you then.”

“Bye.”

“Bye, Emma.” Alyssa shuts the door, and she leans against it, letting out a long, slow sigh.

She punches the air, beaming, and dives back onto her couch to hide her loud, excited giggle in a pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

“Ashley, don’t lean on Jade, you’ll knock her over.” Alyssa skates around the group of children, adjusting their stances as they skate in tiny circles. “Carlos, don’t go so fast, bud.” She skates over to Lucas, standing shakily farther away from the rest of the group. “Hey, Lucas. How are you doing, pal?”

“I can’t do it,” the boy says nervously.

“Sure you can.” Alyssa crouches in front of him. “Hey. Are you scared?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay. If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. But I need to take care of everyone, so if you need something, you need to tell me, okay?” Lucas nods, and Alyssa pats him on the shoulder. “You’re doing great, buddy.” She skates over to stop Ashley from crashing into Lee, not noticing Emma enter the ice until she joins her.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Alyssa says with a grin.

“Do you want me to work on Lucas for a bit?”

Alyssa frowns. “What?”

Emma runs a hand through her hair and shrugs. “You have to focus on everyone, and I know you won’t have time to dedicate to one kid who’s way behind. I can work with him until he’s caught up if you’d like.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Need, no, but I still  _ can.” _

Alyssa looks at her for a moment, briefly distracted by the way Emma’s hair is fluffing up and making her, somehow, look even hotter. “Yeah, if you don’t mind, that would be great.”

“You got it,” Emma says with a mock salute that makes Alyssa blush.

She’s torn from her daydreaming when a weight crashes into her legs, nearly knocking her over. She looks down at Ashley Gonzales, who grins up at her. “You’re trouble, aren’t you?” Alyssa asks, unable to keep the tired note from her voice.

Ashley giggles. “Miss Alyssa and Aunt Emma sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S…” She pauses. “S-N-G?”

“I don’t know whether to correct you or ask you to go sit down.” Alyssa looks up at the ceiling and sighs. “Maybe have a drink,” she mutters.

“That’s what Mommy says when Mom and I plan pranks.”

“Which one is Mom and which one is Mommy?”

Ashley stares at her. “Mom is Mom and Mommy is Mommy.”

“No, I… Never mind.” Alyssa looks up and smiles as she sees Emma in front of Lucas, holding his hands to keep him steady as he skates.

_ “Miss Alyssa and Aun-” _

“How do I bribe you?”

* * *

“So,” Alyssa says, standing in the doorway of Emma’s office. “What’s your consulting fee for working with Lucas?”

Emma grins and leans back in her chair. “Can I decide after our date?”

“I didn’t take you for that kinda girl, Ms. Nolan.”

“Wh…” Emma blushes. “Oh, God. No. That’s not what I mean; I swear.”

Alyssa laughs. “I know. You’re just cute when you blush.”

“So are you. Don’t think I missed your little comments.”

“I, uh… I don’t know what you mean.”

“For the record, I scored a lot  _ in hockey, _ but I don’t score a lot  _ in sex, _ because I prefer serious relationships over hookups.”

“Oh,” Alyssa says in a squeaky voice. “Good to know.” She clears her throat. “Do you-”

_ “Hey!” _

Alyssa turns her head as a man storms down the hallway, glaring at her. “Can I help you?”

“Are you the kiddie skating instructor?”

“Yes?” Alyssa sees Emma stand up slowly, but she continues facing the man, her voice calm and cool.

“I want my son taken out. Right now,” he demands.

“I’m… sorry, sir, and your son is…?”

“Lucas Erickson.”

Alyssa’s expression doesn’t change. “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t have a student by that name.”

He scoffs. “Did my bitch of an ex-wife take  _ my _ name off of  _ my _ son? Figures.” The man folds his arms across his chest. “You’re not teaching my son some fancy ice dancing bullshit. He’s going to play hockey.”

Before Alyssa can think of a response, Emma walks over to them, a wide smile on her face. “Hi there! I sure do hope you’re a parent thanking Ms. Greene for being an excellent teacher.”

“No, I-”

“Because you see, sir,  _ if _ your son was here, he would be learning basic vital skills for being on ice, including balance, coordination, and maneuvering amongst other skaters. They’ll all be important when it comes to hockey, which you really don’t need to worry about right now anyway, because if your son is eligible to be in Ms. Greene’s class, he’s about  _ five.” _

The man glares at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I was on a Division I college team and on the US national team U-18 team, my father was in the AHL, and my grandfather is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Sir, this is the  _ only _ thing I know about.” Emma steps forward, putting herself between the man and Alyssa. “I’ve played street hockey with guys twice your size. You don’t scare me. Get the fuck out of my arena.”

He narrows his eyes and leans forward, but instead of causing more problems he merely scoffs before turning and storming off.

“Thanks,” Alyssa murmurs. “I could’ve handled it, though. That must’ve been Carrie’s ex-husband.”

“I can see why she left him.” Emma puts her hands in her pockets, her shoulders relaxing. “I’m glad I’m gay.”

Alyssa laughs and sets a hand on the small of Emma’s back. “So am I.”

Emma looks at her, grinning, and a tense silence settles over them. “I-I…” She clears her throat. “I prefer not to kiss someone until at least after the  _ second _ date.”

“Darn,” Alyssa murmurs. “Can we go get a snack or something so that dinner on Monday will count as the second date?”

“Hm. Well, I  _ was _ thinking of going on a walk through the park and grabbing some hot chocolate before I went home. You could join me?”

“I’d love to.”

Emma laughs. “Well, then… It’s a date.”

* * *

Emma hands a hot chocolate to Alyssa, then they start walking along the shorter of the two paths around the park. “I got extra marshmallows in yours.”

“Mm. How did you know I love marshmallows?”

“You seem like the type.”

Alyssa bumps her shoulder lightly against Emma’s. “By the way, Miss ‘I Played Hockey Here And There’.  _ The national team? A Division I school? _ I’m hockey illiterate, but even I know that’s impressive.”

“The national team’s U-18 team,” Emma corrects. When Alyssa glares at her, she gives a shy shrug. “Okay, yeah, I was decently good.”

“What made you stop?”

“Hm.” Emma takes a sip of her hot chocolate. “You know, I did some research on you when you got hired. You were headed for some pretty impressive places, Alyssa Greene. Until…”

Alyssa winces, the ghost of pain throbbing briefly through her leg. “Yeah. Until I shattered my ankle.”

“We’re more alike than you might think.” Emma taps her left shoulder with her free hand. “The thing about women’s hockey is that body checking is illegal. If you watch a game, it’s so different from men’s hockey, because the players have to rely on a completely different type of hockey skillset in order to get the puck. The only problem with it is that nobody ever  _ expects _ to get hit, so nobody is ever braced the way men’s players are. If you’re suddenly slammed into the boards, you’re not even remotely prepared for it to happen.”

“Let me guess. You weren’t prepared.”

Emma gives a thin smile. “Not a lick. My senior year of college, during the playoffs, I had the puck and a perfect opening to pass to our best goal scorer. Our opponent’s worst player suddenly sped from the other side of the ice, hit me full force in the chest with her shoulder, and railroaded me straight into the boards. I hit so hard it knocked my helmet off. Knocked me unconscious, obliterated my shoulder. There really wasn’t any coming back from that.”

“Jesus,” Alyssa whispers.

“The worst part is that we lost.”

Alyssa laughs in spite of herself, and she takes a sip of her hot chocolate. “You’re something else, Emma Nolan, do you know that?”

Emma smirks and shrugs. “Maybe a little.”

“I’m glad we went on this date.” Alyssa fidgets with her sleeve. “I, uh… I like spending time with you.”

“I like spending time with you, too.”

“Do you… Maybe we can do this again sometime?”

“I’d love that.” Emma takes Alyssa’s hand in hers. “I’m hoping that we’ll be able to do a lot of things sometime. There’s a lot of places around here that I could show you, Alyssa. I want to show you them all.”

Alyssa hesitates before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to Emma’s cheek. “Start with our dinner. When it goes as well as I know it will, we’ll start planning even more. Deal?”

Emma smiles and nods. “Deal.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alyssa is just finishing her makeup when she hears the soft knock on her front door, precisely at six o’clock.

When she opens it, her breath catches in her throat.

Emma is standing in the hallway in navy blue dress pants, brown wingtips, a crisp white button-down shirt, a navy blue tie, and brown suspenders.

_ ‘Damn.’ _

“I’ll log that in my ‘Things I Pretend You Don’t Say’ category,” Emma says with a small, shy smile.

Alyssa pales. “If science ever comes up with a reason for why I can’t keep my mouth shut around you, can you let me know?”

“Well, I think they have, but I’m not sure if it’s second date material, Ms. Greene.”

“Oh,” Alyssa says in a raspy voice. “Right.”

“If it’s any consolation…” Emma swallows and looks down at Alyssa’s light pink dress.  _ “Damn.” _

Alyssa giggles. “Good.”

Emma grins and pushes her glasses up on her nose. “Are you ready, or am I early?”

“I’m ready. Just let me get my coat.” When she returns, closing the door and locking it, she frowns. “Won’t you be cold?”

“My coat’s in the car. I’m in a cold building all the time, so I’m pretty much used to it by now.”

“Lucky,” Alyssa laughs. “I never really got used to the cold if I wasn’t skating.”

Emma offers her arm, and Alyssa happily takes it as they head towards the stairs. “We’ll be outside for part of the night, if you still want to spend some time with me after dinner. Will you need another coat?”

“I don’t think so.” Alyssa shifts in closer to Emma. “Where are we going?”

“Place that has food.”

Alyssa nudges her. “I kind of figured that when you invited me to  _ dinner.” _

“You never know. Maybe I forgot.”

“No. I don’t think you’re the type who forgets that kind of thing.”

Emma holds the door open for Alyssa. “I do try not to.” When they step outside, Emma lets go of Alyssa’s arm so she can unlock the pickup truck parked at the curb, then opens the passenger door and holds out a hand to help Alyssa up. “I’m sorry; I don’t exactly have an easy car for nicer dates.”

“I like it.” Alyssa presses a soft, quick kiss to Emma’s cheek before getting into the truck. “It suits you.”

“Because I’m a lesbian?” Emma deadpans.

“Shit. If that’s a requirement, do I need to trade in my Subaru?”

“Repeat that sentence back to me and seriously consider it.”

Alyssa pauses. “You’re right; I’m fine.”

* * *

“I have a confession to make,” Emma says as she parks in front of a small restaurant.

“...Oh?”

“I was pacing in front of your apartment for like ten minutes before I knocked. I refused to let myself knock until it was six.”

Alyssa laughs and reaches over to brush a small lipstick mark off of Emma’s cheek. “You could’ve. I would’ve just let you in to wait while I finished.”

“I didn’t want to stress you out or rush you or anything.”

“Well, thank you for being considerate. Don’t worry so much next time.”

Emma smirks. “Next time already? We haven’t even gone inside, Alyssa.”

“Take it as a sign of good faith.” Alyssa glances out the window. “I haven’t seen this place before. What is it?”

“A place I used to go to when I wanted to hide. It became a lot more than that.” Emma gives her a slow grin. “The food is good, too.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

The girl at the front recognizes Emma the moment she walks in, but her eyes narrow when Alyssa follows. “Two?” she asks slowly.

“Yep! Is Trent around?”

“He’s in the back.” Without another word, the girl takes two menus and leads them to a booth in a back corner of the restaurant.

Emma takes Alyssa’s hand until they’re at the table, allowing her to choose where she sits before sliding in next to her. “Would you like any wine?”

“I’d drink some. Whatever you like.”

Emma nods at the girl, who glares at Alyssa briefly before walking away. “Huh.” She frowns. “That’s weird. Sara’s not usually that grumpy.”

Alyssa struggles to hide a laugh. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you usually come here by yourself?”

Emma shrugs. “Well, yeah, why?”

“Aw. I think she has a crush on you.”

Emma feels her face get hot. “She’s  _ seventeen, _ Alyssa.”

“Uh-huh.” Alyssa picks up the menu and looks at it. “You’re going to tell me with a straight face that you never had a crush on an older woman when you were seventeen?”

“...Shut up.”

“Nolan!”

Emma looks up as Trent Oliver walks out of the back of the restaurant and stops at their table. “Hey, Trent.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I wanted to make sure the dinner choice was good with date here first.” Emma gestures from Trent to Alyssa. “Trent Oliver, Alyssa Greene. Alyssa, this is Trent Oliver, he owns this place.”

“Ah, yes, I inherited it and ended up taking it over, but my true passion is music, I actually went to Juilliard and-”

“Trent?” Emma interrupts with a wince. “Maybe some other time?”

“Of course! Of course. I’ll leave you two to it. Perhaps Alyssa can come back sometime and I can tell her about the time I sang-”

“Trent.”

“Leaving!” He waves. “Nice to meet you, Alyssa.”

Alyssa laughs. “Nice to meet you, too, Trent.”

Emma rests her head in her hands, sighing.

“I like him.”

“I’m glad, because he can be a tough sell,” Emma mutters. “I was a little nervous about introducing you, to be honest. I, uh, I have weird friends.”

Alyssa pulls one of Emma’s hands from her face and links their fingers together on the table. “Don’t be afraid to show me anything, Emma Nolan,” she says softly. “I want to know everything about you.”

Emma gives a thin smile. “We already went through most of the small talk. What are we supposed to talk about now?”

“Well, I don’t know, why don’t you tell me a little more about this hockey stuff. What school did you go to?”

“University of Maine. The Black Bears.” Emma rubs the back of her neck. “I was a music major, actually.”

Alyssa’s eyebrows raise. “Music? You sing?”

“Hah. Only in the car or the shower. I play guitar.”

“Music major… managing a hockey rink?”

Emma shrugs. “I was really just getting a degree to get a degree. All I cared about at the time was hockey. Once that wasn’t an option, I didn’t have much of a plan. But Gran needed help at the arena, so it felt like the right fit.” She takes the glasses and bottle of wine from Sara when she drops them off with a polite nod and friendly smile, then pours a glass for Alyssa. “What about you? How’d you end up teaching classes in Edgewater?”

“I didn’t have a backup plan, either. Once I wasn’t in figure skating anymore, I was just kind of working odd jobs until I saw this one open up, and I realized that it was what I should do.”

“For what it’s worth,” Emma says softly, “I’m glad you did. Obviously I’m not glad you got hurt, but… I’m glad you ended up here.”

Alyssa grins. “So am I.”

* * *

Alyssa leans on Emma’s shoulder as they walk back out to Emma’s truck. “So… What’s this outside part of the date you wanted to do?”

“You want to do it?” Emma asks, eyes wide as if she’s surprised.

“Of course, unless you don’t?”

“I absolutely do.” Emma opens her passenger door and helps Alyssa in. “Let’s go.”

* * *

They stop in an open field, and Emma gets out, doing something in the bed of the truck before going around to lead Alyssa out of her seat.

“Little sketchy, don’t you think, Em?”

“Sorry,” Emma says. “This is just the best spot.”

“For what, making out?”

Emma blushes. “Well, uh, I guess so, but I-I wasn’t-”

“I’m teasing you, Emma.” Alyssa sets her hands on Emma’s shoulders. “But for the record, we’re both adults. I wouldn’t say no.” She winks and taps a finger against Emma’s lips.

“Oh.” Emma swallows. “I’ll note that for later.” She looks down at her watch. “For now, though, we should get set up.”

“For what?”

Emma grins at her. “The show.”

* * *

Alyssa lies down in the bed of the truck on a thick blanket, Emma lying next to her.

“The sky is beautiful tonight,” she whispers.

“Yeah, it is.” Emma takes Alyssa’s hand and squeezes it softly.

“Wait. Did you see that?” Alyssa uses her free hand to point to the sky. “Shooting stars.”

“Mhm. A meteor shower.”

“You knew about this?” Alyssa asks, watching the flashes of light across the darkness over them.

“Yeah. I saw that it was happening tonight and thought I could fit it into our plans.”

Alyssa waits until the meteor shower ends, then turns her head to look at Emma. “You really do think of everything, don’t you?”

Emma gives a small smile. “If I can.”

There’s a pause as they just stare at each other, then Alyssa brushes her fingers along Emma’s jaw, pulls her closer, and kisses her.

Kissing Emma Nolan feels like warmth breaking through the coldest winter, like every kiss she’s ever dreamed about but never quite had.

She tightens her grip and tugs Emma closer, deepening the contact, and Emma kisses her back with just as much enthusiasm.

She’s about to grab one of Emma’s suspenders and drag Emma on top of her when Emma suddenly pulls back.

“As much as I enjoy this, Alyssa,” Emma murmurs against Alyssa’s lips, “I don’t want to rush this. I don’t want to rush  _ us. _ And, uh, I don’t know where it could’ve gone if we kept at it like that, but I definitely don’t want to do anything with you for the first time in the bed of a truck in the middle of winter.”

Alyssa flushes. “Right. You’re right.” She kisses Emma again, soft and quick, and sits up. “Care to drive me home before my curfew, Ms. Nolan?”

Emma looks at her watch. “Shit,” she says dryly. “We’re well past mine.”

“I’m sure we can forgive ourselves. It was a good night.” Alyssa hesitates. “At least, I think it was.”

Emma sits up and kisses her on the cheek. “I had an amazing night, Alyssa. Will you let me take you out again sometime?”

Alyssa closes her eyes and rests her forehead against Emma’s. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

“Well,” Emma says slowly, “I would never want to disappoint you.”

Alyssa grins, and Emma stands, helping Alyssa out of the truck bed and rolling the blanket up to get ready to leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Alyssa leans back against Emma’s office door, her hands gently carding through Emma’s hair, taking in a gasp as Emma’s hands press against her hips.

“I need to go,” Alyssa mumbles. “My class is going to get here soon.”

“Mm. Soon isn’t now,” Emma mutters against her lips.

“You’re going to get my boss mad at me,” Alyssa says, teasing.

Emma pulls back, a laugh in her eyes. “I’m sure if I ask nicely she’ll forgive you. Probably forgive you before me, in all honesty.”

Alyssa kisses her again, softly. “I might need to cancel dinner tonight. My mother is visiting this weekend, and I need to clean my apartment.”

“Do you want any help?”

“I don’t really think making you help clean is great third date material.”

Emma smiles and presses a kiss to the tip of Alyssa’s nose. “I wouldn’t mind. I could pick up takeout or something. You’ll need to eat something eventually.”

Alyssa squints at her. “How are you this perfect? I don’t trust it. Where are your demons, Emma Nolan?”

“Well, Shelby and I did get arrested once for a bar brawl.”

“...You’re joking.”

“I’m not. Some morons were harassing the bartender and we politely asked them to stop and when they didn’t we maybe got a little too persuasive.”

Alyssa shakes her head slowly. “Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever date a criminal.”

“It was just one measley night in a drunk tank. It was worth it.”

“I’ll accept that.” Alyssa tugs Emma back in and kisses her, long and slow. “I really have to go now,” she says, breathless. “Do you really want to come over tonight?”

“Absolutely.” Emma rests her forehead against Alyssa’s. “Every date doesn’t need to be fancy, Lys. I just like spending time with you.”

“So do I.”

“Well, luckily enough for you, you can spend time with you whenever you like.”

Alyssa laughs and gently shoves her away. “You’re an idiot.”

“Sometimes, yeah.” Emma raises Alyssa’s hand and kisses the back of her palm. “I’ll come over once I’m locked up? Any preference on food?”

“Hm. Chinese? Chicken lo mein sounds amazing.”

“I think I can manage that.” Emma shifts Alyssa to the side and opens the door for her. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

Alyssa presses one final kiss to Emma’s lips. “See you then.”

* * *

“Hey, Lucas, can I get a high-five?”

The boy gives her a shy smile and high-fives her as he walks off the ice.

Alyssa beams. “You did great today, buddy.” She follows him off, heading over to the bench where she left her shoes. As she sits down to take off her skates, Ashley hurries over to her, dragging Kaylee Gonzales behind her.

“Miss Alyssa! Miss Alyssa! Tell Mommy I did good today!”

_“Well,_ Ashley, did _well_ today.” Kaylee gives an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry. I think Shelby let her have sugar before the lesson today.”

Alyssa laughs. “It’s okay. She did, indeed, do _well_ today.”

“McDonald’s! McDonald’s! McDonald’s!”

Kaylee rolls her eyes. “I did promise.” She sets a hand on the top of Ashley’s head. “But we can’t go anywhere unless you take those skates off and put your shoes and coat on.” The girl’s eyes widen, and she clumsily rushes over to her bench spot. Kaylee watches her go and shakes her head. “I love her, but sometimes I think she’s karma for being a jackass in high school.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what kids are supposed to feel like,” Alyssa says with a laugh. Her gaze drifts past Kaylee, towards the front entrance of the arena, and she frowns. “What’s going on out there?”

Kaylee turns her head and tenses. “Ashley,” she says sharply. “Stay over there.” She takes a few steps towards the door, and Alyssa quickly slides her shoes on and follows.

Just outside, Emma is standing with her arms folded, jaw tense as the man from the other day - Carrie’s ex - screams at her. Emma says something short, quick, and the man takes a step towards her, fists clenching. Alyssa’s hand instinctively slides into her pocket, clutching at her phone, but the man glances upward at something, then snarls a few more words before turning and storming off.

Emma pauses, visibly taking in a breath, then walks into the arena. She hesitates when she sees Kaylee and Alyssa, putting her hands in her pockets before walking over to them. “Hey. How was the lesson?”

“Fine,” Alyssa says. “What was that about?”

She shrugs. “I saw him loitering out here on the security cameras, so I told him to get off my property. It’s not a big deal.”

“But-”

Emma turns and grins as Ashley runs over to them. “Hey, kid!” She picks Ashley up, setting her against her hip. “Were you good for Miss Alyssa today?”

“Yeah! Mommy’s gettin’ me McDonald’s.”

“Sweet deal.”

Ashley tugs on the collar of Emma’s jacket. “Why was your door locked?”

Emma blinks at her. “Hm?”

“Before class I tried t’see ya but the door was locked.”

“Oh. Uh. I was…” Emma glances at Alyssa, who hides a giggle behind her hand. “I was in a meeting.”

Ashley pouts. “Boring.”

“Uh huh. Definitely.” Emma kisses the side of her head. “You should go before McDonald’s runs out of toys.” She sets the girl down, pointedly ignoring Kaylee’s stare.

“Meeting, huh?” Kaylee says, her voice dry.

“Yep,” Emma insists.

Kaylee looks from her, to Alyssa, and back. “Mhm. We’ll talk about that later.” She takes Ashley’s hand and heads for the door.

Alyssa laughs and steps behind Emma, leaning against her. “You need to work on your improv.”

“Oh, shut up.”

* * *

Emma grins as the door opens and Alyssa gives her a tired smile. “Delivery for Ms. Alyssa Greene?”

“Can the delivery driver stay awhile? She’s very attractive, and I’d like to give a more personal tip.” Alyssa grabs Emma by the collar of her flannel and tugs her into the apartment, swinging the door closed behind her and kissing her.

“If this is how you tip every delivery driver, I’m going to be jealous.”

“Only ones I’m dating, don’t worry.” Alyssa kisses Emma again and takes the plastic bag from her. “What did you get?”

“Chicken lo mein as requested, two orders of wonton soup, and I got some sesame chicken. They also gave us like six egg rolls for some reason. I wasn’t going to argue.”

Alyssa puts the bag down on an already-set table. “Thank you for getting it. How much was it?”

“Free.”

“Em. You paid for our last date. You don’t need to pay for all of them.”

Emma shrugs. “Pay for the next one, then.”

Alyssa rolls her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“And kinda rich, so enjoy it.” Emma opens one of the containers and sets it on a cork coaster. “My grandfather made a lot of money and he wrote my father out of his will, so. Between that and the arena doing well, you really don’t need to worry about some takeout. Okay?” She brushes her knuckles under Alyssa’s chin. “If you want to buy our next date, I’m absolutely fine with that. But don’t think you’re putting me out if we don’t keep score.”

Alyssa gives her a soft, quick kiss, then finishes setting their food out. “What do you want to drink?”

“Water is fine.”

“Good, because as soon as I asked that I realized I didn’t have anything else.”

Emma laughs. “It’s even better, then.”

* * *

When they sit down, Alyssa waits until she’s eaten a few forkfuls before saying, “I, uh… I was thinking this over a bit before I asked, but… Why did your dad get taken out of your grandfather’s will?”

Emma is quiet for a long moment. “I will tell you all of it someday, but I’m not sure I can just yet.” She takes a sip of her water. “To summarize, you know that skating coach I mentioned? The one who worked me so hard that my grandfather ended up punching him?”

“Yeah?”

“It was my father.”

Alyssa stares at her. “Oh,” she whispers.

Emma clears her throat. “Uhm, so, yeah, it didn’t really…”

“You don’t need to tell me any more until you’re comfortable to do so, Em. If you’re _ever_ comfortable to do so.”

Emma gives a thin smile, playing with the college ring on her right hand. “You’re everything I would’ve ever wanted in a skating teacher, Lys. Patient. Reasonable. Talented. Clever. And, well, being drop-dead gorgeous doesn’t hurt, either.”

Alyssa laughs. “What kind of student would you have been?”

“Oh, even more of a stubborn, hyper pain in the ass than Ashley, absolutely.”

“Ashley, who is also talented, sharp, and cares about her classmates.” Alyssa smiles and picks up one of the egg rolls. “Y’know? I can see it.”

* * *

Emma finishes rolling up the cord for the vacuum and slides it into the closet. “Is that everything?” she asks, setting her hands on her waist as she looks around the apartment. “Did we really clean it all?”

“Yes,” Alyssa sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I know it wasn’t a _ton,_ but it still would’ve stressed me out and taken forever if I was by myself. Thanks for helping.”

“Any time. Seriously, Lys, if you ever need help with something again, just ask. Even if I’m not available, I’m sure I can find somebody who is.”

Alyssa puts her arms around Emma’s waist and leans against her. “I’m going to say it again. You’re too perfect.”

Emma grins at her. “Hot, smartass, cocky, talented jock. I have to be perfect, otherwise I’m just an asshole.”

With a roll of her eyes, Alyssa presses a kiss to Emma’s lips. “Regardless. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They continue to stare at each other, neither of them making any effort to leave.

“Emma,” Alyssa murmurs. “What’s the rules for third dates?”

“I forget, and I don’t really care.”

“Good. Neither do I.” Alyssa pulls Emma in closer, kissing her harder this time, groaning as Emma’s hands thread into her hair.

The kiss gets deeper, rougher, until Emma pushes Alyssa against the closest wall, hands wandering, and Alyssa responds by jumping up and locking her legs around Emma’s waist.

_“Jesus,”_ Emma mutters.

Alyssa clutches at the back of Emma’s shoulders, breathless. “Do you remember where my bedroom is?”

“Yeah, I just vacuumed it.”

Alyssa barely holds off a laugh. “Take me to it?”

“Gladly.”

* * *

Alyssa groans and stirs as an incessant noise wakes her. She picks up her phone to shut off her alarm, but she realizes, through her haze, that one isn’t ringing.

“Someone’s at your door,” Emma mumbles next to her, burying her face into the pillow grumpily. “What time is it?”

Alyssa rubs at her eyes to focus. “Nine in the morning.” Her eyes drift down to the six missed text messages and two missed phone calls. “Nine… oh, fuck. Oh my God.”

Emma lifts her head and blinks at her. “What? What’s wrong?”

If she had time to appreciate it, Alyssa would note that a sleepy Emma Nolan looks very, very cute.

She does not have time.

Alyssa swallows, holding up her phone as it rings again. “It’s my mother.”


	6. Chapter 6

Alyssa wrenches her front door open, giving a wide, hopefully-innocent smile at her mother standing in the hallway. “Mom. Hi. You’re early.”

Mrs. Greene frowns and glances down at her watch. “My plane got in sooner than expected, yes, but I’m only half an hour early? I tried to call you but you weren’t answering.”

“Right. I’m sorry.”

Her mother blinks at her, eyes skimming up and down her haphazard attempt to get dressed. “Would you like me to come back later?”

“Ye- No.” Alyssa laughs nervously. “No, of course not, I’m so happy to see you.” She pulls her mother into a hug, leading her into the apartment and turning her back to the bedroom. Emma gives her an exasperated, silent _‘why the fuck’_ from the doorway, and Alyssa just gives her a helpless look in return.

“I forgot how nice your little apartment is,” Mrs. Greene comments as Emma ducks back into the bedroom. “You keep it so clean, Alyssa.”

“I straightened it up a little bit last night, but I try to keep it organized.”

Mrs. Greene smiles and kisses her on the forehead. “You look well, superstar.”

Alyssa mirrors her smile. “Thanks, Mom.” She sets her hand on her mother’s arm. “Can I take your coat?”

“Yes, thank you.” Mrs. Greene takes her coat off and passes it over to Alyssa. “How is work going for you?”

“It’s really good. You’ll have to come tonight to see the kids. They’re trouble sometimes, but they’re adorable, and they’re really trying hard.”

Mrs. Greene gives a soft smile. “Might make me wistful for when you were that age.”

Alyssa grins and shakes her head. “Don’t start asking me for grandchildren, lady, I’m only twenty-nine.”

“Seems old enough to me,” Mrs. Greene jokes. She sets her bag down and goes into the kitchen, opening the cabinet and taking out a glass as Alyssa hangs her coat up in the closet. “Maybe we should ask the woman who’s trying to sneak out your front door.”

Alyssa freezes with her hand on the closet handle. Emma freezes with her hand on the front doorknob.

“Uh…” Alyssa says.

Emma turns slowly, adjusting her flannel and giving a weak grin. “Hi.”

Mrs. Greene leans against the doorway of the kitchen, an amused smile on her face. “Hello.”

Emma clears her throat and adjusts her shirt again, then takes a few confident steps towards Mrs. Greene, lifting her hand from her side. “Emma Nolan.”

She shakes Emma’s hand. “Veronica Greene.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Greene.”

Alyssa brings herself out of her trance and goes to Emma’s side. “Uh, Mom, this is Emma.”

“I think we already went through that part,” Emma mutters out of the corner of her mouth.

“Not helping,” Alyssa mutters back.

“Wait, this is _Emma?_ The one you told me about on the phone?”

Alyssa covers her face with a hand as Emma smirks at her. “Mhm. Yep.”

Mrs. Greene grins. “Well. It’s very nice to meet you, Emma.”

Emma turns to Alyssa. “I should go. Let you be with your mom.”

“Don’t be silly. I was going to invite Alyssa out for breakfast. You should join us.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude, ma’am.”

Mrs. Greene waves her hand. “It’s not intruding. And you can call me Mrs. Greene or Veronica, whichever you’re more comfortable with.”

Emma nods. “Well, I… If Alyssa’s okay with it, I’d be happy to join you for breakfast.”

She glances at Alyssa, who gives a soft smile and kisses her cheek. “I’d love it if you would.”

* * *

“-but since we’re _the_ most unlucky idiots in the history of the universe, the water balloons missed Kaylee completely and landed on my grandfather while he was about to do an on-air interview. So first of all, I’m surprised I’m alive, and second of all, I’m honestly shocked that Kaylee married my fool of a best friend.”

Mrs. Greene laughs as Emma finishes speaking and goes back to her blueberry pancakes. “You were a bit of a troublemaker when you were a kid, weren’t you?”

“When I was a kid? This was, like, junior year of college. I haven’t gotten much better.”

Alyssa looks between her mother and her girlfriend. “I’m afraid of how well you two are getting along.”

“Appreciate it,” Emma teases, stealing a piece of Alyssa’s bacon.

“Hey! Get your own!”

“But I already ate my own.”

Alyssa tugs on her collar, bringing her in close. “Then you’ll owe me.”

Emma grins. “Oh, I’ll have to buy breakfast for a pretty girl, what a sacrifice.”

Mrs. Greene clears her throat, and Alyssa lets Emma go quickly. “Young romance,” Mrs. Greene says with a laugh. “It’s always just a little bit stupid.”

“Mom!” Alyssa protests.

“Am I wrong?”

“I don’t think she’s wrong, Lys,” Emma admits with a shrug.

Alyssa glares at her.

“I mean, you’re right, she’s terribly wrong.”

Mrs. Greene smirks at her. “You’ll do well.”

* * *

While they wait outside for Mrs. Greene, Alyssa links her hands around Emma’s waist and kisses her. “We didn’t have time to chat this morning,” she murmurs softly.

“No, we were a bit rushed.”

“I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed last night. Very much.”

Emma gives a slow grin. “Good. So did I.” She ducks her head and presses a quick kiss to the underside of Alyssa’s jaw, trailing up to whisper in Alyssa’s ear. “Would’ve given you an encore this morning, but like we said, we were interrupted.”

Alyssa groans quietly. “Don’t tell me that. It’s all I’ll think about for the rest of the day.”

“You could use something fun to think about while you’re spending your time with your mother and small children.”

“...That’s cruel, Emma Nolan. That’s so, so cruel.”

“Maybe it is. Oh well.” Emma kisses the frown off of her face as Mrs. Greene steps outside and joins them. “Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Greene. You didn’t need to pay for me.”

“Don’t be silly, Emma. I invited you. It wasn’t any trouble at all.”

“Well, thank you.” Emma puts her hands in her pockets and kisses Alyssa’s cheek. “I should get going. The arena will be opening any minute now, and-”

She’s interrupted by the ring of a cellphone, and she pulls away from Alyssa to answer it.

“Hello?” She pauses, frowning as she turns her back to Alyssa and Mrs. Greene. “Gran. Gran, slow down, what’s going on?” She pauses again. _“What?_ No, I was already on my way, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Emma hangs up, staring at her phone for a moment, hand shaking.

“Em?” Alyssa prompts softly.

Emma turns to her, pale. “Something happened at the arena.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cameras have been smashed to pieces, and someone shattered the glass on the front doors.”

Alyssa pauses. “But that’s not all, is it?”

Emma shakes her head. “No. There was also this.”

She holds up her phone, and Alyssa hears her mother gasp as Alyssa’s blood runs cold.

It’s a picture of a picture, one that looks like it’s attached to the wooden placard dedicating the building to Emma’s grandfather. A photograph of Emma from a couple weeks earlier, standing on the ice as she assists in Alyssa’s class.

A photograph held to the placard by a knife driven through the paper, right at the center of Emma’s chest.


	7. Chapter 7

“I don’t care why you  _ think _ it happened. I want to know how there can be no footage from the  _ very expensive  _ security system I’m paying you for.” Emma paces back and forth in her office, phone pressed to her ear. “There are children at this arena all the time. I expect them to be safe, which is why I  _ have _ a security system. If you can’t give me a damn good explanation for why you don’t have any footage from  _ before _ the cameras were destroyed, I’ll find a company that can be more reliable.”

She slams the phone down on her desk, taking in long, sharp breaths. When she looks up, she has a strained smile on her face.

“Sorry. You guys should head out. I’m not going to be opening the arena today. I’m sorry, Lys. I’ll call your class and explain.”

Alyssa gives her mother a worried glance and stands up from her chair. “Em. It’s not a big deal. I can call them.”

“No. You shouldn’t have to do that. I’ve got it.” Emma goes back to pacing, muttering under her breath.

“Emma, look at me.”

“We’ll need to put plywood over the doors so nothing gets in while we wait to order more glass, so I’ll have to-”

Alyssa grabs Emma’s face and interrupts her by kissing her, holding the contact until she feels Emma’s breathing slow. “Em,” Alyssa murmurs against her lips. “Stop. Slow down.”

“I’m fine,” Emma whispers. “I’m alright.”

“No. You’re not.”

Emma sighs and rests her forehead against Alyssa’s. “I just don’t understand what’s happening.”

Mrs. Greene stands up and walks over to the corkboard on Emma’s wall, taking down a printed list. “Are these your students, Alyssa?”

“Hm?” Alyssa turns her head. “Oh. Yeah?”

_ “I’ll  _ call them. You know how well I can turn on the business voice.” Mrs. Greene waves her hand. “You two talk.”

“Mom, I…” Alyssa trails off as, without another word, her mother leaves the office. “Thank you?”

“She gets things done, doesn’t she?” Emma says with a laugh.

Alyssa rolls her eyes. “You have no idea.” She sets her arms on Emma’s shoulders, linking her hands behind Emma’s neck and kissing her again, softly. “Talk to me,” she says quietly. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Probably nothing. I’ve had concussions.”

“Emma.”

Emma gives another soft sigh. “I just… My grandparents worked so hard for this place, and it’s killing me that someone would damage it on purpose. The plaque out there for my grandfather was made from the last surviving piece from his barn that burned to the ground. I’m pissed off, because some asshole hurt the place my grandmother feels closest to the man she still loves.”

Alyssa brushes her fingers through Emma’s hair. “It’s all still here. There’s a bit of damage to the plaque, but it’s still there. The glass is broken, but it’s just glass. It can be replaced. Everything is still here, Em. It’ll heal.” She pulls Emma a bit closer. “What about… I mean, you’re not just going to ignore…”

“I get that whoever did this was probably pissed at me specifically. I’m not worried about it. If they want to take a swing at me, they can man up and do it. None of this passive shit. I’m not about to be scared out of my own rink or threatened into doing what somebody wants.”

“Don’t do something stupid,” Alyssa says, a warning tone in her voice.

Emma pulls out of her grip and turns, facing the wall. “I’m not. But… I don’t know. Maybe you should just stay away from me until I figure this out. Just in case-”

“Don’t you fucking dare pull that self-sacrificial martyr shit on me, Emma Nolan.”

Emma turns back around, looking annoyed. “Alyssa, listen to me-”

“No.” Alyssa jabs her finger against Emma’s collarbone.  _ “You _ listen to  _ me. _ You just said that you’re not going to let a  _ death threat  _ \- because that’s what that is, whether you’ll admit it or not - scare you away. Guess what? I’m not letting you allow it to scare you away from  _ me, _ either. I like you. I think that, if this keeps going, I could fall in love with you. And I’m not going to let you toss that aside because of some asshole with a grudge.”

“You could fall in love with me?”

Alyssa pauses. “Yeah. I-I think so.”

Emma’s jaw tenses. “Only time I ever tried to have something serious with a girl, she laughed in my face and said I was just a fun time.”

“Oh.” Alyssa pauses again. “Well… Please don’t do that to me?”

Emma takes a small step forward. “She was shocked when I stopped being nice. You’d think she would’ve made the connection.”

“Let me guess. The sarcasm came out?”

“Full force, baby.” Emma pulls Alyssa in and kisses her, hot but with a surprising amount of softness.

Alyssa sets a hand on Emma’s neck and kisses her back, losing herself in the moment.

They go until the door opens, and Mrs. Greene’s voice dryly says, “I called everyone.”

Alyssa gives a panicked squeak and pulls away from the kiss, turning to her mother. “Uhm. Oh. Good. Thank you. Uhm. Thanks a lot.”

Mrs. Greene smirks. “You’re welcome.” She glances down at her watch. “It’s almost three. Why don’t you both come back to Alyssa’s apartment, and I’ll make an early dinner?”

“I should check on my grandmother,” Emma says quietly.

“That’s fine. You can invite her, too. Alyssa did spend all that time  _ cleaning. _ In fact, I just spoke with Mrs. Nolan, and she said she was free tonight, so it would be perfectly easy to do.”

Alyssa pales. “What?” She looks at Emma, who is just staring at Mrs. Greene, trapped.

“Uh…” Emma glances at Alyssa. “Uh…”

Alyssa winces and sighs. “Sure. Sure, Mom, we can do that.”

“We can?” Emma asks weakly.

“We’re already screwed in the ‘meet the parents’ department,” Alyssa mutters in her ear. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Emma groans loudly. “Why would you ever say that?”


	8. Chapter 8

“Thank you so much for inviting me,” Betsy Nolan says as she shakes Mrs. Greene’s hand. “It certainly wasn’t necessary.”

“Oh, it wasn’t any trouble at all. Isn’t that right, girls?”

Emma and Alyssa, sitting on the couch whispering to each other, look up as if they were hoping they were invisible. “Huh?”

Mrs. Greene sighs. “Alyssa, set the table.”

Betsy laughs. “They were hoping they could keep their little courtship a secret?”

“It would seem so. It didn’t exactly work, given that when I got here Emma was trying to sneak out of the apartment.”

Emma flushes pink and coughs.

“Emma was right,” Alyssa mutters. “This was a mistake.”

* * *

“How are your classes going, Alyssa?” Betsy asks while they eat.

“Really well,” Alyssa replies brightly. “The kids are fantastic. It’s amazing how engaged they can be.”

“She’s a great teacher,” Emma adds. “You should see her. Those kids adore her, and they’re learning so much with her.”

Alyssa gives her a soft smile and briefly sets her hand on Emma’s knee.

“And how did this end up happening?” Betsy points between Emma and Alyssa.

“Oh. Well, uh, y’know,” Emma stammers.

“She’s cute and asked me out, so it wasn’t very hard on my part,” Alyssa says.

Betsy laughs. “I’m glad she took the initiative.” She takes a sip of her wine. “Her grandfather was a troublemaker. You know, the day we met was on an ice-covered lake that he was playing hockey on. He started showing me how to skate and started racing me towards a snowbank, stopping just in time and catching me. He was so lucky he was cute.”

Alyssa glances at Emma out of the corner of her eye, and sees her focusing way too hard on her salad. “Yes. I can imagine so.”

* * *

Mrs. Greene folds her arms in front of her on the table and leans forward. “So. Emma.”

Emma sets her water glass down. “Hm?”

“What are your plans for my daughter?”

Alyssa chokes. “Mom, we’ve been on  _ three dates.” _

Mrs. Greene grins at her. “And?”

Alyssa groans loudly and puts her head in her hands. “What did we do to deserve this?”

“You agreed,” Emma mutters. “No matter what happens, remember that  _ you agreed to this.” _

* * *

As Betsy and Mrs. Greene clean up the table, Emma and Alyssa go to the couch, Alyssa lying with her head in Emma’s lap.

“I hope you’re happy,” Emma teases. “They’re going to be texting each other about wedding plans if we’re not careful.”

“There’s really no hope of them just letting us move at our own pace, is there?”

“Probably not.”

Alyssa groans. “And people say lesbians move fast.”

Emma leans down and kisses her softly. “We survived the first dinner. We can survive more.”

“Mm. More, huh?”

“Well, yeah. I plan on keeping you around in my life, Miss Greene, and if I do that, I guarantee you’re going to have to be at more dinners.”

“Good. I plan on keeping you around, too.” Alyssa reaches up, threading her fingers in Emma’s hair. “But maybe, next time, it can just be the two of us.”

Emma grins. “Deal.”

“Maybe with less clothing, too.”

Emma pales a little. “Also a deal.”

Alyssa snuggles in a bit closer to Emma. “I wish you could stay tonight. You probably could, but I don’t really want my mother bothering us all night in an attempt to find out if we’re sleeping together.”

“I think she knows that we’ve slept together, honey.”

“Oh, she knows, but I don’t really want her in the same apartment finding out exactly how long it’ll take me to do everything I want to do to you.”

Emma gives a soft groan. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Maybe,” Alyssa says slyly.

“You get us into this mess and now you’re torturing me? This is cruel, Alyssa.”

Alyssa stretches, a bit longer than she needs to, smirking when Emma’s eyes drift down her body. “I’ll make it up to you.”

* * *

“Once again, thank you so much for inviting me. Your daughter has been a wonderful employee. It’ll be good to have her sticking around.” Betsy gives Emma a hard look. “As long as this one doesn’t mess something up and scare her off.”

Emma raises her hands defensively. “What did I do?”

“Nothing. And you’d better  _ keep _ doing nothing, kiddo.”

Emma makes eye contact with Alyssa and rolls her eyes, making Alyssa giggle.

“I’ll see you later,” Alyssa says, kissing Emma as slow as she can with her mother and Betsy standing right next to them.

“See you later,” Emma murmurs.

“It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Nolan,” Alyssa says, allowing Betsy to pull her into a hug.

“Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Greene,” Emma says as she shakes Mrs. Greene’s hand.

“You’re welcome.” Mrs. Greene gives a wide smile. “Thank you for providing ample conversation topic.”

Emma sighs. “You two are going to be a truly dangerous team, aren’t you?”

Simultaneously, Mrs. Greene and Betsy say, “I have no clue what you mean.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Can I ask you something?” Emma says as she walks into the arena, holding Alyssa’s hand.

“Sure.”

“Are you ever nervous to do jumps since your injury?”

Alyssa thinks for a moment before shrugging. “Sometimes. If I think about it, it gets in my head, and I start worrying about it. I struggle when I do that. But if I can get into a zone, blank it out, it’s like riding a bike.”

Emma nods. “I got into street hockey for similar reasons. I was too afraid to get on the ice after I got hurt. Playing the game helped shake the fear.”

“Is this a roundabout way of asking me whether I’m afraid to go back to my classes today?” Alyssa asks with a small smile.

“No. I was just thinking.” Emma bumps her shoulder against Alyssa’s. “But since you brought it up, how are you feeling about it?”

“I’m not worried. I’ll keep an eye on the kids, but I’m really more concerned about you.”

“Hey.” Emma stops in front of the door of the arena and kisses Alyssa slowly. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“Em,” Alyssa says quietly. “I don’t want you to be tougher than you look. I just want you to be safe.”

“I know. I know. I’m being safe. I promise.” She puts her arm around Alyssa’s shoulders and kisses her temple. “Now let’s go to work.”

* * *

“Nice job, Lucas!” Alyssa grins as she stops next to the boy. “You’re doing such a good job!”

He gives her a shy smile. “Miss Emma helped a lot. So did Ashley.”

“You going to take my job from me, Ash?”

“Maybe!” Ashley giggles, skating a circle around Alyssa.

“I’d be honored.” Alyssa crouches down in front of Lucas. “How are you feeling, pal?”

“Good. I think I can do it.”

“I think you can do it, too.”

Lucas ducks his head, grinning. “Thanks, Miss Alyssa.”

“Of course. Come on, buddy. Let’s keep practicing.”

* * *

“Are you ready to go to dinner?” Alyssa asks, standing in the doorway of Emma’s office.

“Yeah, just one second. I’m finishing up paperwork for the new security system.”

“You’re changing companies?”

“Mhm. They never found the footage, and I just don’t trust that.” Emma leans back in her chair and smiles. “How was your class?”

“Great.” Alyssa steps into the office and closes the door. “Lucas is improving quite a bit.”

“I’m glad. He’s a good kid.”

“You like kids a lot, don’t you?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing better than watching a kid who wants to skate realize that they  _ can.” _ Emma closes the folder on her desk and slides it into a drawer before standing. “What date are we up to now?”

“Hm. Are we counting the dinner we had with my mom and your grandmother?”

“Eh, sure.”

“Add in a few other dinners, and I think we’re at seven.”

Emma whistles. “We’re moving right along, huh?”

Alyssa laughs and backs up into the door as Emma walks towards her. “Yeah, I think we are.”

When Alyssa hits the door, Emma sets her hands on Alyssa’s hips and kisses her. Alyssa threads her fingers in Emma’s hair, letting out a quiet groan. She pulls at Emma’s fleece jacket, tugging her closer.

“Thought,” Alyssa mutters against Emma’s lips. “What if we go back to your place and just order takeout?”

Emma grins. “I’m fine with that.” She shifts down and starts kissing Alyssa’s throat. “What are you in the mood for?”

“I… I think…” Alyssa closes her eyes and rests her head against the door. “Jesus. I think you can’t ask me that question while you’re doing that.”

Emma smirks. “But that’s why I asked the question.”

“Fuck,” Alyssa mumbles.  _ “Fuck. _ Where are your keys?”

“In my pocket.”

“Good.” Alyssa grips Emma’s jacket by the collar and pushes them both away from the door so she can open it before she starts dragging Emma outside.

“Do I get to grab my coat before we leave?” Emma asks with a laugh.

“No. You made your bed, so you get to lie in it.”

“Is that a promise?”

Alyssa gives her a look over her shoulder. “If we even get that far.”

* * *

Emma yawns and wraps her arms around Alyssa’s waist, pulling her in close. “Morning,” she mumbles, voice raspy, as she presses a kiss to Alyssa’s bare shoulder.

“Good morning.” Alyssa stretches as she starts to wake, a long, slow movement that Emma is fairly certain is only done to torment her. “I can’t believe we skipped dinner. That’s such poor date etiquette.”

“Mm. We’ll make up for it.” Emma groans and tries to hide her face in Alyssa’s hair when she hears a loud knock on the door. “Why,” she whines. “Why do people come here so early?”

“Honey, this time we’re at  _ your _ place.”

Emma sighs and reluctantly lets Alyssa go, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. “If it’s some sort of salesman, I’m going to kill them.”

“I’ll help you hide the body as long as I get coffee first.”

“I knew we were meant for each other,” Emma jokes as she finally rolls out of bed and grabs sweatpants.

* * *

When Alyssa walks out into the living room, she finds Emma seated on the couch across from a woman in a suit.

“What’s going on?”

Emma looks a bit pale as she turns to her. “Baby, this is Detective Dickinson.”

“Hi,” Alyssa greets tentatively as she sits next to Emma. “Are you here about the vandalism to the stadium?”

“Yes. I apologize for being so early, but I wanted to catch Miss Nolan before she left for work. I was just about to give her some important information.”

Emma interlocks her fingers with Alyssa’s. “Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of Alyssa.”

Dickinson nods. “Do you know a Keith Erickson?”

“Is that the name of Carrie Bellini’s ex-husband?”

“Yes.”

Emma shrugs. “I know he’s a jerk. He’s come around a bit to try to bother her and her son, but I’m not going to tolerate that.”

Dickinson jots down a note on her notepad. “Miss Nolan, we found fingerprints on the knife that was used to pin your picture to the arena. They came back to Mr. Erickson. When we confronted him, and he realized we had evidence, he confessed.”

“I don’t understand,” Alyssa says. “Why target Emma?”

“It would appear that a large portion of Mr. Erickson’s anger with his ex-wife got transferred to Miss Nolan when she got between him and his son.” Dickinson stands, tucking her notepad into her pocket. “My partner is arresting him as we speak.”

“Well. Thank you for letting me know, Detective Dickinson.”

“If you have any questions, Miss Nolan, you have my card. We’ll be in touch.”

Once the detective is out the door, Alyssa turns to Emma, who’s standing and slowly pacing on the other side of the room.

“That’s great,” Alyssa says quietly. “You won’t need to worry about who targeted you, and I’m sure it will bring some peace of mind to Carrie as well.”

“Hm,” Emma says, noncommittal, staring at the floor.

Alyssa frowns. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It doesn’t feel right,” Emma mutters.

“Honey, if this is about the cameras, the security company probably just made a mistake. Erickson confessed. His prints were on the scene.”

“I don’t doubt that he did the vandalism itself, I just… I don’t know, Lys, I have a bad feeling. That picture of me. How did he get it?”

Alyssa shrugs. “Probably took it, I don’t know.”

“But…  _ how?” _ Emma bites her lip as she sits back down next to Alyssa. “That was me on the ice while I helped you teach. How would Carrie not have noticed that her violent ex was in the arena? And how would a guy with that many rage issues see us on the ice working with Lucas and not just confront us right in the moment.” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t feel right, Lys.”

Alyssa kisses her softly on the cheek. “Did you talk to the detective about it?”

“No. I’m probably just being paranoid.” Emma runs a hand through her hair. “If he doesn’t change his story, I’ll ask the detectives if they ever asked him about working with somebody. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“... _ Are _ you sure?”

Emma hesitates. “Yeah. Of course. Who else could it even be?”

* * *

“So,” Shelby says as she and Alyssa watch Ashley change out of her skates. “This Sunday night. What are you doing?”

Alyssa frowns. “Well, nothing, as far as I know.”

“Cool. You’re coming to our Sunday dinner.”

“Shelby, I wouldn’t want to in-“

“You’re not intruding on anything,” Shelby interrupts with a laugh. “But I know my friend, and the idiot would never invite you herself because she’d be afraid that it would be putting us out or some bullshit.”

Alyssa laughs. “Well, alright. Thank you.”

“Of course. Honestly, thank  _ you.” _

“For what?” Alyssa asks, surprised.

Shelby leans down and picks her daughter up. “I’ve never seen Emma as happy as she is with you, Alyssa. It’s a nice thing to see.”

* * *

Alyssa laughs as she skates, side by side with Emma. “I think I could do this forever, honestly.”

“What? Skate in circles? That’s not very ambitious, Lys.”

“No, you jerk. I just… I don’t know. I’m being happy, and I’m with  _ you. _ I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”

Emma pauses in her motion, taking Alyssa’s hand. “Stop for a second,” she murmurs.

Alyssa’s brow furrows. “I’m sorry. If that’s scary, or too much, I just-”

“Hush.” Emma kisses her softly. “It’s not that. I just want to say something to you.”

“What?”

Emma smiles and takes Alyssa’s face in her hands. “I love you, Alyssa Greene.”

Alyssa’s breath catches in her throat. “You do?”

“Yes. I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to say it, but to hell with the calendar. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Alyssa breathes.

Emma grins. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Alyssa laughs and hugs her. “I love you, Emma Nolan.”

“Do you want to keep skating?” Emma asks after a moment.

“No,” Alyssa mumbles, still snuggled against her. “I think I just want to stay like this for a while.”

* * *

“Shit,” Emma mumbles under her breath as she checks her watch. If she doesn’t get going, and soon, she’ll be late to the Gonzales Sunday dinner, and three women, one child, and a dog will all kill her.

She runs a hand over her face as she turns off her desk lamp and grabs her gym bag before heading for the door.

She stops in her tracks when she sees a large figure step into the doorway.

Emma laughs quietly. “I should’ve known.”

The only answer she gets from the figure is a revolver aimed at her chest.


	10. Chapter 10

“Sorry, I know I’m a bit late,” Alyssa says as she steps into the Gonzales house.

“You’re fine,” Kaylee replies as Ashley runs over and tackles Alyssa in a hug. “Actually, you’re not even the last one here.”

“I’m not?”

Kaylee shakes her head. “Emma’s not here yet.”

Alyssa’s brow furrows. “That’s… not like her. I mean, it’s not, right?”

“No,” Kaylee says quietly. “It’s not. Em’s pretty punctual.”

“I keep telling her that I’m sure Nolan’s fine.” Shelby leans against the wall, only her eyes betraying her own worry. “She probably just got caught up in something at work.”

“She didn’t answer when you called her, Shel.”

Shelby shrugs. “You know Emma. Sometimes she can get  _ really _ invested in something.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Alyssa rubs the back of her neck and checks her watch. “Uhm. We’re right near the arena, so I’ll just go over there and remind her about dinner.”

“Good idea.” Shelby whistles, and a large husky trots out of the kitchen. “We’ll go with you. We can take the van.”

“I’m going, too!” Ashley yells, bouncing up and down on Alyssa’s foot.

“Why don’t you stay here and help me finish dinner, sweetheart?” Kaylee asks.

“No, I wanna go yell at Aunt Emma!”

Shelby bites her lip and exchanges a glance with Kaylee. “You can yell at her when we get home, sweetheart. Stay here. Please.”

Ashley takes a small step back, reading her mom’s mood, looking uneasy. “Okay, Mom,” she says softly.

Shelby leans down and kisses her on the top of the head, then nods at Alyssa.

Alyssa turns back to the door. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The arena is dark when they park in front of the door.

“This feels… eerie,” Alyssa mutters when she steps out of the van.

“Yeah. I don’t like it.” Shelby opens the back door of the van and takes a step back, startled.

Her dog is snarling, his ears back as he jumps over from his side of the van to behind the driver’s seat, then out and in front of Shelby, bristling as he stares at the door of the arena.

Alyssa moves to the other side of the van to stand next to Shelby. “Is he usually like this?”

Shelby shakes her head, pale. “He’s never done that before. Ever.”

Alyssa approaches the newly repaired door cautiously, but it opens before she gets there. A man rushes out and slams into her, knocking her to the ground.

When she looks up at him, they make eye contact, and they both freeze.

He looks familiar, but she doesn’t know why.

The thought leaves her mind when she sees the gun in his hand.

Pom-Pom’s growling gets louder, and he starts to run forward.

Alyssa’s blood goes cold when the man fires a shot in the dog’s direction before running and getting into a car at the other end of the lot.

The lights above the license plate are out, but Alyssa thinks she catches one letter of the plate number as it passes under one of the lot lights on its way out.

“Alyssa, are you okay?” Shelby asks urgently, rushing over to help Alyssa to her feet.

“Yeah,” Alyssa says shakily. “I’m fine. You? The dog?”

“We’re fine. He didn’t hit us.” Shelby sets a hand on Alyssa’s shoulder as the husky sits next to them, staring in the direction the car left. “You’re bleeding.”

Alyssa looks down at the streak of blood across her shirt. “No… No, I don’t think it’s mine.” She lifts her head, pale, and sees her own fear reflected on Shelby’s face. “Stay here. Call the cops.”

“Alyssa, don’t-”

She ignores Shelby completely as she turns and runs into the arena.

* * *

The rink is as dark on the inside as it was on the outside, and it sends shivers down Alyssa’s spine. She heads for Emma’s office, and she can’t stop the sense of dread when she sees that Emma’s main office light is still on.

When she gets to the doorway, she almost collapses.

There’s blood everywhere. Emma’s desk lamp is knocked over, her bookshelf has been dragged to the floor, her gym bag is near the door.

For a moment, she can’t find Emma in the chaos, and that somehow scares Alyssa even more than everything else.

Then she hears a quiet groan from behind the desk, and she rushes over, doing her best to be quick without disturbing the scene she’s in.

“Oh, God,” she rasps. She drops to her knees next to Emma and rolls her onto her back. “Emma. Emma, look at me. Open your eyes.”

She’s covered in blood, just like her office, and Alyssa isn’t entirely sure where it’s all coming from. Alyssa grabs one of Emma’s sweatshirts from the back of her chair and presses down on one wound that’s visible, and, with a hiss of pain, Emma’s eyes flutter open.

“Lys,” Emma mumbles. “Lys.”

“It’s okay,” Alyssa whispers. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

“If I…” She swallows. “Lys, I…”

“Don’t. Don’t even think it. You’re fine.”

Emma shudders and swallows again. “Cold.”

“I know, baby. Can you hear the sirens? Help’s coming. Just stay with me.”

Emma closes her eyes, shivering. “Lys,” she mutters. “I love you.”

“Don’t say that to me. Don’t you dare. You’re not saying goodbye to me, Emma Nolan.”

There’s no response, and if it wasn’t for Emma’s slow, steady breathing, Alyssa would think the worst.

“Em, please,” Alyssa whispers. “Please.”

She watches the shallow rise and fall of Emma’s chest, she’s not sure how long, until a police officer pulls her away so two paramedics can take her place.

As she’s led out of the room, the officer asks, “What happened here?”

It’s only then that Alyssa finally breaks down.

* * *

Alyssa sits in the waiting room of the hospital, staring down at her trembling hands. There’s still blood staining her fingers, and she can’t get the image of Emma on the floor out of her head.

“It’s Alyssa, right?”

She looks up quickly, hoping for an update, but disappointment fills her when she sees Detective Dickinson. “Oh,” she says dully. “Hi.”

“Can I sit?”

Alyssa gives a noncommittal shrug, so the detective sits down.

“I’m sorry about what happened tonight. It must’ve been a shock.”

“She knew something wasn’t right,” Alyssa says quietly. “Emma. She knew something wasn’t right with Erickson’s arrest, but she just didn’t know what.”

“I didn’t hear anything about it.”

“Don’t blame her,” Alyssa growls, glaring.

Dickinson raises a hand. “I’m not blaming her. I was just commenting that I wasn’t aware. Can you tell me what you saw tonight?”

“We were supposed to have dinner with the Gonzaleses, but Emma was late. She’s never late. Shelby and I both felt uneasy about it, so we went to the arena. Her dog started freaking out, and when I went to the door a man came out and knocked me over. He fired a shot at the dog, then got into a car. Uhm… it was a blue Ford sedan. The license plate had a Y in it, but the plate lights were out, so I didn’t see any more than that.”

“That’s okay. That’s a lot better than having nothing, believe me.” Dickinson points at the blood on Alyssa’s shirt. “He might’ve gotten some evidence on you. We’ll have to take your clothes. Can someone bring you something to change into?”

“I-I don’t know. I don’t know many other people here.”

“We’ll figure it out. It’s okay. What happened when you went into the arena?”

“It was dark,” Alyssa whispers. “Emma’s office light was on. So… So much blood…” She closes her eyes and bows her head. “I didn’t see her at first, but then… God, there was just so much blood.”

“Did Miss Nolan say anything to you about who attacked her?”

“No. She didn’t say much. Just…” Alyssa shrugs. “Personal stuff. For me.”

“I understand. Do you think you could describe the man you saw to a sketch artist?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Alyssa pauses. “It’s weird. He looked so familiar.”

Dickinson leans forward. “Did you know who he was?”

“That’s what’s so strange, I don’t think I did. I…” Alyssa trails off, thinking about the man again, trying to focus on her memory of his face. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“What is it?”

“He looked familiar because he looked like  _ Emma.” _

Dickinson frowns. “What do you mean?”

Alyssa looks up at her. “It was Emma’s father.”

* * *

She’s moved to a more private waiting room, wearing shorts and a t-shirt from the campus store a block away from the university hospital. Her hands are clean now, but she still just stares at them as she waits, unable to shake the feeling of Emma’s blood on her fingertips.

When the door opens, she almost doesn’t look up.

When she does, she jumps to her feet and rushes into the arms of Betsy Nolan.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Betsy says softly, holding Alyssa tight. “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa sobs. “I wanted to call you, but I couldn’t keep it together, and then the police said they’d call you themselves, and I didn’t even know what I’d say, and I’m so sorry, I don’t know how Emma is, they won’t tell me anything because I’m not family, but I-”

“Shh, shh, shh.” Betsy pats her on the back. “It’s alright. It’s okay. Just breathe, sweetheart. Sit down.”

Alyssa takes a seat, trembling, and Betsy sits next to her.

“Emma’s still in surgery. She was shot twice, and from what the doctor told me, it seems that she was hit a few times before she was.” There’s almost a note of pride in Betsy’s voice as she adds, “My granddaughter got a solid fight in. That bastard underestimated her.”

“Did… Did the police tell you…”

“That my son probably did this?” Betsy looks away. “Yes. They did.” She lets out a soft sigh. “If I was a bit younger, I’d find him myself and beat him until he lost as much blood as Emma has. I hope he knows she’s alive. I hope he’s mad about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa whispers. “If we had gotten there sooner-”

“If you had walked in on that fight, Patrick would’ve just tried to kill you, too. Emma wouldn’t want that, and I don’t want it, either.”

Alyssa rubs at her eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Mrs. Nolan.”

“Sweetheart, you’re here.” Betsy puts her arms around Alyssa’s shoulders. “You’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to do.”


	11. Chapter 11

The first thing she remembers is pain. She expects it when she opens her eyes, and she’s braced for it when it surges through her, aching even through the dull thud of morphine.

“‘Lyssa,” she mumbles, mouth dry. “Alyssa.”

She sees a woman sway into her blurry vision. Not Alyssa.

“You’re awake. Can you tell me your name?”

She squints, trying to focus through the medication. She knows she knows the answer, but her head hurts too much for her to draw it out. “I just want Alyssa. Please. Just want Alyssa.”

She tries to sit up, but that hurts even more, and she collapses back on the bed with a noise of frustration. “Alyssa,” she whispers.

“Hold on. You’ll hurt yourself. Just hold on a second.”

Stubbornly, she tries to sit up again, to move, to follow the single instinct in her brain that just wants one thing.

Sharp agony races through her back, and her vision goes white before she collapses back on the bed and her world goes dark again.

* * *

“She’s still asleep,” the nurse says as she leads Alyssa into the room. “But the last time she woke up, she was only asking for you, and she got so upset that she nearly opened her stitches up. We thought it would be best if you could be here the next time she opens her eyes.”

“Can I sit next to her?” Alyssa asks, gesturing at a chair in the corner.

“Yes. Just be sure to move out of the way if someone from the staff needs you to.”

Alyssa nods and pulls the chair over before sitting and gently taking Emma’s hand in hers. “Hi, baby,” she whispers. “I’m going to sit with you. I hope you don’t mind, because you’re not getting rid of me.” She tightens her grip on Emma’s hand. “I love you too much to lose you, Emma Nolan.”

* * *

Alyssa’s dozed off in her chair when she feels a grip on her hand. She opens her eyes slowly, confused, and when her gaze focuses she sees Emma watching her.

“Hi,” Emma says softly. “I was really hoping you’d be here.”

“Oh my God.” Alyssa stands, already feeling tears on her cheeks. “Hi.”

“Are you okay?”

Alyssa chokes on her laugh and nods. “I’m fine. I’m fine. How do you feel?”

“Little woozy. Tired. I know I’m on morphine but everything still hurts.”

“I’m not surprised.”

Emma sighs softly. “What’s the damage?”

Alyssa pauses, unsure of how to respond.

“Lys. Just tell me.”

“Broken wrist. Bruised ribs. Black eye. You got shot twice in the back. One nearly hit your heart. One nearly hit your spine.” Alyssa gives a quiet laugh and shakes her head. “All things considered, you’re actually one lucky son of a bitch.”

“Feels like it,” Emma jokes. She squeezes Alyssa’s hand. “It was my father.”

“I know.”

Emma blinks. “You do?”

“I saw him coming out of the arena. You, uh, you look like him.”

“...Yeah. I’ve never been very happy about it, but I suppose in this case it pays off, at least somewhat.”

Alyssa closes her eyes and lifts Emma’s hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I love you. So much. You scared the hell out of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I just needed to say it.” When Emma yawns, Alyssa kisses her hand again. “You need more sleep, darling.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” Emma whispers, her voice small and scared.

“Don’t worry,” Alyssa says gently, leaning back in her chair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

She keeps her promise as long as she can, until the nurses order her out and Emma caves and begs her to go home and try to sleep.

Alyssa isn’t expecting to achieve much rest when she walks into her apartment.

She pauses as the door closes, frowning at the suitcase next to one of the chairs in her living room. “Hello?”

It’s only a moment before Mrs. Greene steps out of one of the bedrooms.

“Mom.” Alyssa cracks, all the emotions she’s been waiting to vent bursting out in a sob as she rushes forward and hugs her mother.  _ “Mama,” _ she whispers in a broken voice.

Mrs. Greene just holds her while she cries, pressing a kiss to her hair and gently stroking her back. After a long moment, she says, “I left as soon as I heard. How is she?”

“Hurt. Alive but hurt.”

“How are you?”

Alyssa cries harder, tightening her grip. “There was so much blood, Mama. It was so much, and I didn’t know where it was all coming from, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to help her.”

“Shh. Shh.” Mrs. Greene strokes her hand over Alyssa’s hair. “It’s okay. She’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. You got help to her, and she’s okay.”

Alyssa just buries her face against her mother’s shirt and continues to cry, letting it all out as Mrs. Greene strokes her hair and murmurs comfort in her ear.

* * *

When she lays on the couch that night, her head in her mother’s lap, she doesn’t fall asleep until the news reports that the police have finally arrested Patrick Nolan.

* * *

“Take your time, Emma,” Detective Dickinson says, standing next to Emma’s bed. “You don’t need to recap it all at once.”

“Does this really need to happen right now?” Betsy demands, seated on Emma’s other side.

“It’s okay, Gran.” Emma closes her eyes, breathing slowly as she focuses on her grandmother’s touch instead of the pain still throbbing in her back. “I was just leaving to go to dinner. I grabbed my bag and was heading for the door when I saw him in the doorway. As soon as I saw him, I knew. I just knew. The only person who’s ever hated me enough to target me has been my father.”

“Why would your father hate you?”

“My husband’s will,” Betsy says. “Patrick was removed from it because he was abusing my granddaughter. Anything that might’ve gone to him when Thomas died went to Emma instead.”

Dickinson nods. “What happened after you saw him in the doorway?”

“H-He aimed a gun at me. I just reacted, I guess, I don’t know. I threw my bag at him. I think it hit his arm, because I heard the gun fire, but it didn’t hit me. I ran at him, punched him, I know I got a solid hit in. I’ve been in fistfights before. They don’t scare me. He doesn’t scare me.” Emma takes in a slow breath. “I don’t really remember every detail of the fight. We just kept hitting each other. At some point he dropped his gun. I know we knocked a few things over. I-I don’t… I don’t know when he got the gun back, but he punched me and it took me to my knees, and then he just…” She swallows, her voice trembling. “He walked behind me and shot me. Bastard couldn’t even look me in the eye when he did it.”

Betsy’s grip on her hand tightens, and, when Emma’s turns her head, she can see that her grandmother is crying.

“Gran, please don’t cry,” Emma whispers.

“I can, and I will,” Betsy says quietly. “The idea that Patrick would…” She swallows. “He’s not my son. No son of mine would do that to his own child.”

Emma turns her hand and links her fingers with Betsy’s. “I’m sorry, Gran. I’m sorry that he hates me so much.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Betsy murmurs. “It was never your fault.”

* * *

After several weeks, Emma is allowed to go home from the hospital.

Alyssa helps her step slowly in through the front door, then maneuvers her over to the couch. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. I imagine this is probably what it feels like to be hit by a bus.”

Alyssa snorts. “Let’s not test that theory.”

She starts to walk to the kitchen, but Emma grabs her hand and pulls her down onto her lap. Emma winces. “Okay. That was a mistake.”

“What are you doing, you idiot?” Alyssa asks with a laugh. She shifts over so that she’s sitting right next to Emma, close enough that they’re still touching, but not on top of her.

“I just… I needed to feel you. I missed you.”

“I saw you every day,” Alyssa teases.

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. And I… We never really talked… about, uhm… Me saying ‘I love you’ before I passed out in that office.”

“We said it to each other before that moment,” Alyssa says carefully.

“We did. But I thought I was dying, Lys. I thought that was going to be the last thing I ever said to you.”

Alyssa gives a small shake of her head. “I don’t really want to think about that.”

“I know. Neither do I.” Emma rests her forehead against Alyssa’s. “But… I just… I love you, Alyssa. And lying on that floor, I realized just how much. I know it’s early, I know we have a lot ahead of us still, but… I-I… I need you to know that when I say I love you, I mean that I  _ love _ you.” She pauses, frowning. “I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“I think I understand.” Alyssa cups Emma’s face in her hands. “And I  _ love _ you, too, Emma. The thought of you not being in my life was terrifying.”

Emma looks at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her. She sets her hand on Alyssa’s hip and pulls her in, an almost desperate movement, stopping only when she flinches away with a hiss of pain.

Alyssa smiles softly and rests a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Sorry, baby. You’re still a bit too hurt for makeout sessions on the couch.”

Emma frowns, even more miserable than she was before, but it lightens when Alyssa presses a kiss to her cheek.

“Don’t worry, honey. I know it’s hard, but…” She nips at Emma’s ear. “I’ll make it up to you when you’re better.”

Emma shivers. “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.”

Alyssa smiles and kisses her cheek again. “I know.”


	12. Chapter 12

Alyssa opens the apartment door and laughs as Ashley runs inside, nearly jumping on Emma before Kaylee steps in after her and sharply says, “Ashley,  _ gentle!” _

Ashley stops short and pouts, standing on Emma’s feet with her hands on Emma’s knees. “Aunt Emma, I’m here to yell at you!”

Emma raises an eyebrow. “Why am I getting yelled at?”

“You were late for dinner! You’re not supposed to be late!”

She laughs and pats the spot on the couch next to her. Ashley climbs up next to her and cuddles up against Emma’s side. “Sorry, kiddo,” Emma murmurs. “I’ll do better next time.”

* * *

Emma sits on the cold metal stool and picks up the phone in front of her, putting every bit of sarcasm she can manage into her voice as she says, “Hello,  _ Dad.” _

Patrick glares at her through the glass. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Not even some cursing about how I didn’t die? I’m surprised.” Emma gives a stiff shrug. “That’s fine. I didn’t come here for a heartfelt conversation. I just want to know something.”

He rolls his eyes but says nothing.

“What was the point? Even if you killed me, you wouldn’t get the money. You damn well didn’t scare me by getting Erickson mad enough to vandalize the arena. Do you just hate me that much?”

Patrick scoffs and moves to hang up his phone, then pauses and puts it back to his ear. “I don’t hate you. You’re  _ nothing _ to me. It’s  _ him _ that I hate.”

Emma’s brow furrows. “H… Grandpa?”

“That fucking arena. It’s everything my son of a bitch father represents. It’s  _ his. _ And so are you. If those two women weren’t outside when I went out to get my supplies, I was going to burn that goddamn arena to the ground. My pathetic father took everything from me, and I was going to take everything that belonged to him.”

For a long moment, Emma says nothing, just watching the rage in Patrick’s eyes. Then, quietly, she says, “You’re trying to get revenge on a dead man. Who’s really the pathetic one here, Patrick?”

_ “I DESERVED-” _

She ignores him, hanging the phone up and walking out of the room.

* * *

“Are you okay?” Alyssa asks, leaning against her car as Emma walks out of the prison gates.

Emma cups her face in her hands and kisses her.

“Mm,” Alyssa mumbles. “Not that I don’t appreciate the greeting, but what was that about?”

“You saved my life, Alyssa Greene,” Emma murmurs against her lips.

“I didn’t-”

“You did. You and Shelby both did. He was going to light the building on fire, Lys. You interrupted him.” Emma gives a shaky sigh. “There’s no way I could’ve gotten myself out if he had done that.”

Alyssa closes her eyes and rests her forehead against Emma’s. “Oh, God. Are… Did he… Why would…”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing he says matters. He’s worthless, Alyssa.” Emma kisses her again, softly. “I’m not spending another moment of my time thinking about him. Don’t let him take up your time, either. He’s not worth it.”

Alyssa hugs her. “Let’s go home, Em.”

Emma nods. “Your mother is still in town, right?”

“Yeah. She didn’t want to leave until after the trial was over.”

“Good. Let’s have her, my grandmother, and the Gonzaleses over for dinner.”

Alyssa smiles and kisses the tip of her nose just to watch her squirm grumpily. “I think that would be a great idea.”

* * *

**TEN YEARS LATER**

* * *

Alyssa leans on the door to the rink, watching the kids warm up before their class.

“Mom! Mom!” Connor Nolan-Greene skates over to her, his eyes wide with excitement. “Priya doesn’t believe you can do the jumps!”

“I didn’t say that!” a girl on the other side of the group of six-year-olds yells, her arms crossed.

“Did so!” Connor tugs on Alyssa’s sleeve. “Can you do one?”

“I’m not sure, kiddo. I don’t want to have you guys trying to copy it.”

_ “Please?” _

“Come on, Aunt Alyssa, just one won’t hurt,” Ashley says, grinning as she skates a circle around the class.

Alyssa rolls her eyes. “You realize that it’s going to be your job to make sure they don’t do something they shouldn’t, right? That’s what you get for being my assistant.”

Ashley shrugs. “I’m fine with that.”

Alyssa shakes her head with a smile as she gets onto the ice. “Pay attention, because I’m only going to do it once.”

She skates down to the other end of the ice, confidence running through her veins, and does the first jump she ever did in this rink: a single axel.

Connor gives a shout of triumph and skates over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou.”

Alyssa laughs and kisses him on the top of the head. “Are you done showing off now?”

“Yes. But.”

“But what?”

He lifts his head and looks up at her. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

Alyssa grins and ruffles his hair. “Get through class and we’ll talk about it, okay?”

Connor beams and hugs her again.

* * *

Emma blows her whistle, walking along the edge of the inline hockey rink as she watches the group of kids play their scrimmage. “Alright, guys, that’s it for today. Good work.”

She watches them take their skates off and put their shoes back on, all except for one who continues skating back and forth, taking idle shots at the goal.

Emma waits for the other players to leave with their parents, watching the girl continue to practice. “Hey, kid. Want a goalie?”

Aspen Nolan-Greene smirks as she looks over her shoulder. “You’re not a goalie.”

“You don’t scare me, shorty.” Emma picks up one of the goalie sticks and walks over to the net, standing loosely as Aspen squares up to take a shot. “Come on. Show me what you’ve got.”

Aspen grins and stares her mother down for a long moment before shooting, the inline hockey ball getting past Emma easily.

“Best two out of three,” Emma says, hitting the ball back to Aspen. She frowns when Aspen scores again. “Three out of five.”

Aspen giggles.  _ “Mom.” _

“Hey, it’s not easy to admit that your kid is clearly better than you. I’m proud, but it still hurts.” Emma points at the other side of the rink. “What’s that?”

When Aspen looks over her shoulder, Emma runs towards her and picks her up, holding her over her shoulder. She takes the ball and kicks it into the other goal with her foot.

“Ha! Take that!”

“Mom, that’s cheating!” Aspen yells, laughter in her voice as Emma holds her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Isn’t this how you play hockey?”

Aspen wiggles a bit until Emma sets her down, but the grin disappears from her face when Emma winces and puts a hand on her back. “Mom,” she murmurs. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, kiddo. I’m fine.” Emma leans down, a bit stiff, and kisses Aspen on the top of the head. “Come on. Let’s get this stuff packed up. We’re meeting your mama and your brother for dinner.”

Aspen’s eyes light up. “Pizza at Trent’s?”

“I think that can be arranged if we get this done on time.”

With a bounce in her step, all worries forgotten, Aspen runs to collect the hockey sticks.

* * *

Emma lies face down on her bed, sighing softly.

“Overdid it at hockey practice today?” Alyssa asks, sympathetic as she walks into the bedroom to change into her pajamas.

“I picked Aspen up. I forget she’s not a baby anymore.”

“Take your shirt off, darling.”

Without question or argument, Emma pulls her t-shirt over her head and sets it next to her on the bed, still lying on her stomach, but turning her head to face Alyssa.

Alyssa, fully changed, straddles her hips and starts running her hands up and down the muscles of Emma’s back.

“Fuck,” Emma mutters, arching into the touch just a bit. “I should hurt my back more often.”

“No, you really shouldn’t.” Alyssa watches the movement of Emma’s body under her.  _ ‘Even if this is really hot.’ _

“You said the quiet part out loud again, honey,” Emma says mildly.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Alyssa continues her motions. “I think Connor has a real interest in figure skating.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He wanted me to do a jump during class today, and he asked me if I could show him how to do it. Don’t worry. I did a very small and careful one.”

“Nice. I think Aspen’s going to be better than me at hockey. I’m proud, but I also kind of feel competitive.”

Alyssa laughs. “Too bad, Nolan-Greene, your time passed.”

“Eh. I could take her.”

“I can see it now. A forty-year-old with chronic back problems versus our five-year-old. Battle for the ages.”

“Stop being mean to me,” Emma complains.

“I’m giving you a massage; you can’t have everything.” Alyssa leans down and presses a kiss to the back of Emma’s neck. When she straightens, her touch lingers on one of Emma’s bullet scars. “Please be more careful,” she murmurs. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Emma rolls over beneath her, setting her hands on Alyssa’s thighs. “I’m okay, love,” she says gently. “I am.” One of her hands skims up, tucking under Alyssa’s shirt to rest on her belly. “You’re not going to stop me from picking this one up until I physically can’t, though. It’s my right.”

Alyssa laughs and leans down, kissing her. “Should we tell the kids yet?”

“Not yet. I think Aspen’s happy being the youngest. Let’s not burst her bubble just yet.”

“I think she’ll like being a big sister.”

“I certainly hope so. We can’t return it.”

Alyssa laughs again, lying down next to Emma, one leg still on top of her. “What do you think? Hockey or figure skating? The third one will have to break the tie.”

“Hm. Curling.”

Alyssa smacks Emma’s arm.

“What? It’s plausible.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Emma grins at her and moves her hand lower, watching Alyssa’s eyes darken with every inch. “Maybe I am.”

“Don’t start something you’re not going to finish, Em,” Alyssa says, voice low and dangerous.

“Oh, don’t worry. I had a nice massage that made my back feel  _ much _ better.” Emma rolls onto her side and grips the waistband of Alyssa’s pajama pants.

Alyssa groans softly and leans in to kiss her, but she jerks away and throws Emma’s shirt at her when the bedroom door is wrenched open.

“Mama,” Aspen says from the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “I can’t sleep. I had a nightmare.”

Emma, her shirt back on, just barely holds back a laugh as Alyssa gives her a pained look.

“Okay, sweetie.” Alyssa grips Emma’s shirt and mutters in her ear, “Why are we having a third? We’ll never have sex again.”

Emma shrugs, oddly happy. “We made the mistake of liking kids.” She kisses Alyssa quickly and stands. “I’ve got her.” She walks over to the doorway and crouches down in front of Aspen. “Having a bad night, kiddo? Let’s go lie down with Nugget and see if she can chase the bad dreams away.”

Alyssa gives a soft smile as she watches Emma kiss Aspen on the forehead. “Goodnight. I  _ love _ you.”

Emma takes Aspen’s hand and smiles back at Alyssa. “I  _ love _ you, too,” she says softly before leading their daughter back down the hall to her bed.


End file.
